I was recently asked a question to this effect and here is my answer:
The most effective strategies are always going to be the ones you design for yourself.
Balance is a great place to start.
I find it can be really helpful to visualise yourself at the end of the day reflecting on a day with complete satisfaction. “Today was a good day. I was really able to balance all aspects of my life. …..”
You might then fill in the details of why and how it was a great day – detailing the key things that you truly want to have accomplished.
I would typically do this the previous evening and visualise the whole day including how one activity will flow into the next. If I find I’m trying to stuff too much in – that I have lost sight of the essential in each part of my life – I do the visualisation again and pare it back to just those activities that are most important to me.
Once you have a sense of what your day might look like you can then consider various ways of creating more focus (time management tips and tricks).
Nevertheless, my experience is that starting with the big picture and working back typically results in better outcomes.
To further explore this topic, try the Time Academy Intro to Time
